It is desirable to properly lubricate the moving components in an internal combustion engine and provide hydraulic power. Typically, oil pumps used in engines are operably associated with the crankshaft of the engine (e.g., direct driven, chain driven, gear driven and/or the like) and have relatively simple fixed pressure regulation systems. While these systems are generally adequate, there are some disadvantages. For example, there is not much control of the actual discharge pressure relative to the pressure needed by the engine under certain/given operating conditions. By way of a non-limiting example, currently available pump technology typically provides high oil pressure at all engine operating conditions, where a lower oil pressure may be adequate at some of those engine conditions.
In commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,489, the entire specification of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference, a mechanical hydraulic arrangement is shown for providing control of a variable displacement vane pump. This provides for a more optimized control of engine oil pressure. However, it is yet desirable to provide some further control depending on engine needs and/or variables.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of control and system for control of a variable flow pump (e.g., vane pump) by the use of an engine control unit which actuates a solenoid for directly and/or indirectly controlling the flow rate of a variable flow pump.